Dereham resident not angry at otter who cleared out pond

Phil Bean, who lives in King's Park, Dereham, noticed the fish in his backyard pond were going missing, and found some dead or injured across the garden. 

Phil Bean, from Dereham, next to his empty pond, which was cleared out by an Otter (Image: Phile Bean)

People he told on social media suggested a heron or a mink could have been behind the incidents, but he suspected another animal was to blame - an otter. 

So Mr Bean installed a camera to watch over the water, and footage taken at night soon proved his suspicions correct. 

Despite all nine fish now gone, Mr Bean said he had no hard feelings towards the otter.

“I completed a major revamp of the pond last year, but otters are otters, they’re an apex predator,” he said.

Images shared of the otter making it's way into the garden pond in Dereham (Image: Phil Bean)

“As much as I’m sad, I have no bad feelings towards the animal. 

"I’m quite overjoyed I’ve had one in the garden.

"I’ve had a camera up in my garden for the last 12 years, and this is the first interesting thing I’ve seen.”

Mr Bean said it took just two weeks for the otter to work its way through all of the fish, leaving the pond empty.

Phil Bean, from Dereham, has shared CCTV footage of an otter going into his garden pond, and taking his fish (Image: Phil Bean)

He said he was unsure how the animal got into the garden but said it could have followed the scent of his cat and climbed over the fence.

He said had considered covering the pond to protect it, but did not want it to look like "Fort Knox".

Mr Bean said he was unsure what to do next. But he said he would not restock the water with more fish for at least six months, and will avoid turning it into a wildlife pond - unless the otter can be encouraged to live in the garden permanently.